Indian Land Green was formed as a direct response to a 2019 National Citizen Survey commissioned by Lancaster County. The survey asked residents about their priorities for a livable community and high on that list was the need for expanded outdoor recreation opportunities.
Newly elected S.C. House Rep. Mike Neese of Indian Land took that data and encouraged several residents of Indian Land to create a group to help fill that void.
In January, Indian Land Green was formally established as a nonprofit South Carolina corporation.
The specific goals of Indian Land Green are to promote conservation, health and wellness, outdoor recreation and education, and to facilitate roadside and park cleanup events to improve overall quality of life for Indian Land and surrounding communities.
We intend to expand trails, both greenways and blueways, to connect with neighboring communities, while enhancing recreational use and environmental awareness.
With those goals in mind, we are working with local landowners to obtain easements to build a walking trail along Six Mile Creek, as well as considering land suitable for canoe and kayak access to Sugar Creek and the Catawba River.
For other recreational land use, we have created detailed color maps of Deputy Roy Hardin Park, Walnut Creek Park and Bailes Ridge Nature Trail.
Indian Land Green’s environmental initiatives include participation in the S.C. Department of Transportation Adopt-A-Highway program, where we remove litter along U.S. 521 in Indian Land. It’s a wonderful program, where we often partner with other organizations to help beautify our local roadways. Anyone interested in participating can contact board member Clare McConaughay at cmcconaughay@gmail.com.
Clare has also managed a yearly cleanup of Deputy Roy Hardin Park, with material support from the Lancaster County Parks and Recreation and recently brought that effort under our banner.
We are also excited to announce that we will be joining the S.C. Adopt-a-Stream program, where trained volunteers would conduct monthly water testing of sections of Six Mile Creek. We will be hosting a training session for interested residents on Dec. 15. Details for that are currently posted on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/IndianLandGreen/.
Please consider joining us as we work together to increase our livability index by expanding access to outdoor recreation and beautifying our community. Contact us at indianlandgreen@gmail.com.
William Jameson is acting board president of Indian Land Green.
